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Compiled by Eric Hartwell. Sources:
Croc Addict
July 9, 2002 -
Entertainment Weekly
Fair dinkum by Glenn Whipp - July, 11, 2002 -
U Entertainment Daily News
Crikey -- Irwin's just wild about nature by Carla Meyer - July 10, 2002 -
San Francisco Chronicle.
 Steve Irwin prepares to relocate a 12-foot "saltie" while Terri Irwin watches from the boat in MGM Pictures' adventure comedy "The Crocodile Hunter: Collision |
Steve and Terri Irwin have their own line of action figures and T-shirts and videos, not to mention a new movie arriving in theaters today. But the spirited man the world knows as the "Crocodile Hunter" and his lovely wife are about as far removed from Hollywood as you can get. And, by crikey, they plan on keeping it that way.
The couple met in 1991 when Oregon-born Terri visited the Australian Zoo in Queensland (which Steve still runs) and saw Steve dangling a piece of raw meat over a hungry crocodile's mouth. Their eyes met (Steve and Terri's, that is) and, after spending about six weeks together over a nine-month period, the two married.
Since then, the Irwins have become international celebrities through the Animal Planet's "Crocodile Hunter" television series, in which Steve brazenly introduces viewers to various species of dangerous and docile wildlife while Terri sensibly stands safely in the distance, offering encouragement and occasional help. In 1998, the Irwins welcomed a daughter, Bindi Sue, into the world.
The
Irwins' movie, "Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course," blends the series' animal
adventures with a fictional spy story. Real life and make-believe intersect
only toward the film's end. The movie also carries over the show's strong
environmental message, emphasizing the responsibility people have toward the
natural world.
"Steve had to be Steve," says director and longtime collaborator John Stainton. "I never wanted him to enter the movie world. I wanted to keep him with the animals, doing the things he does best."
Here we talk to Steve, 40, and Terri, 38, about the hazards and comforts of their film debut, the one animal that makes Steve nervous, whether the Crocodile Hunter's closet contains any other color than khaki — and why he lets his 4-year-old play with gators.
 "When a croc is snapping at you, you can only do it once," Steve said. "You can't have a couple of takes. That's why, when Terri is sweating bullets -" "It's because I thought I was really going to die," Terri chimed in. - San Francisco Chronicle |
What's the biggest difference between making a movie and filming one of
your "Crocodile Hunter" episodes for Animal Planet?
Terri: We stopped for lunch. (Laughs)
Steve: We've been married 10 years, mate, and I never understood until
now what it's like to be a woman in the Outback. She's never had a toilet.
She's had to eat baked beans out of a can. And then there's the mosquitoes and
the sand flies and the venomous snakes swimming around. She's never had a
place to wash her hands except the river that probably had crocs in it. And
she never complained. But by crikey, when we filmed, she got a toilet with a
painting in it, not to mention catering, mate.
So are you pushing for more movies, Terri?
Terri: (Laughs) Steve's heart and passion is with television because it's
much easier. You film it as you see it. Here the cinematographer wants the
perfect shot, but you can't wait until the light's good when you're trying to
catch a king brown snake.
How difficult was it to turn a documentary TV show into a conventional
feature film?
Steve: It was the easiest transition in the world. It's like a videogame;
you go from one level to the next. In 2000 we filmed all of the croc stuff on
our own, because there's no way we could have filmed it with MGM. With a movie,
we couldn't get insurance for Terri [Irwin's wife] and me, and we couldn't use
stunt doubles, because we wanted to do it all in real time, nothing fake. After
we filmed all of that, then we went to MGM in 2001 and started adding the movie
component.
So you shot the crocodile footage without having any idea what the rest of
the movie might be about?
Steve: Yeah, there's no script. The movie section of it I had nothing to
do with, and we actually weren't allowed to see the film until the premiere.
They wanted to keep myself and Terri and Sui [the Irwins' dog] and the crocs
completely natural, just real life.
Surely you had to do some acting, didn't you?
Steve: Nah, I'm not acting. It's what we call ad lib. Acting is all about
choreography, knowing where you're going, and your lines, and I had none of
that. The director said ''Take me from here to there,'' so I just said what I
was doing as I did it. But there were a few scenes there that drove me crazy.
When there were no crocs or snakes involved, they'd make me do a scene up to 10
times, and I could never work out what the heck that was about. They'd claim the
light was good, the light was bad, the audio was good, the audio was bad. There
was always some excuse why they didn't have it right.
 CRIKEY! Irwin's exploits as a reptile wrestler have led to some skinned knees, crushed bones, and severed tendons |
Were you injured shooting this film?
Steve: There was a fair amount of blood, which we had to cut as much as
possible so kids could see the movie as well as adults. I got hit across the
head by a crocodile I captured under the water. Then my knees and shins got all
chopped up jumping on a 12-foot croc. Plus, on my way to filming one day I had
to rescue this kangaroo on the side of the road. When I went to it, it kicked me
and split my lip in half. I'd like to think it was tens of thousands of dollars
that went down the tubes because we had to wait 10 days for my lip to heal
before we could start shooting again. But I think it was a whole stack more
money than that, what with the unions and all.
Are all the scenes with animals in the movie real or did you have to
stage some things for the benefit of the camera?
Steve: Every scene in the movie with snakes and crocs is fair dinkum,
mate. They're genuine! I had to catch the two crocs you see in the movie
anyway so (director) John (Stainton) just got the cameras around. But by
crikey, he had a hard time splicing all the footage together.
Why's that?
Steve: There's a big blood factor, mate. You don't go in there and toss
two crocs like that hands-on without getting busted up. My knee blew up and I
got hit underwater — whack! — across the face and when I got out of the water,
my eye and my cheek just puffed up. You can't have that in there and have a PG
rating. I had blood whooshing out of me like a river.
Even the creepiest snapping crocs don't seem to scare you. Have you ever
really been frightened?
Steve: Oh yeah, many times. In the movie there's a scene where this croc
is trying to kill me and Terri, and I was very scared for Terri and Sui. And
once a croc named Graham dragged my best mate, Wes, by the leg and tried to kill
him. I was the only other person around — and I was six feet away from him — so
I had to jump on the croc and get Wes out of Graham's mouth. That scared the
living daylights out of me. I thought my best mate was going to die right in
front of my eyes. I seem to have a lot less trouble looking after me than I do
looking after everyone else.
What has been your most serious injury as a crocodile hunter?
 Irwin, of course, performed all his own stunts -- uninsured -- with the animals of ''Collision Course'' |
Looking at both of you and knowing your adventures, it's remarkable that
you aren't covered with scars and bruises.
Terri: He heals well and I'm too scared of everything.
What about that time you fell down the cliff?
Steve: (Shaking his head, looking mournful) That was my fault, mate. I
blew it. I got rolled over the coals by my dad for that, and I'm sincerely
sorry. I'm just a shortcut taker; the quickest route is where I want to go. So
I just said, "C'mon, Ter" without knowing if it was safe, and she just went
sliding down.
Terri: I was amazed that you don't fall like a cartoon character. You
don't go, "Aaaaaah!" off the cliff. You just kind of slide down on your face.
But the thing about Steve is that he has long legs and arms like an orangutan.
It's hard to keep up with him.
Steve: These arms (standing up) as long and silly looking as they are,
they sure work well! I can hold an 8-and-a-1/2-foot black mamba like that —
(imitating snake) hsssssss — and know that they can't quite catch me.
Do you think a lot of people watch your show hoping that one day that
snake will catch you?
Steve: Absolutely. But you know what it is? It's not like, "Stick your
head into a den of rattlesnakes." It's just, "There's a den of rattlesnakes.
I've got to go in there." I'm just a boy at heart. When it comes to wildlife,
I was born with these arms and this innate ability to relate to wildlife. So
I'm using it. I'm using it every day of my life. I'm a wildlife warrior, and
rescuing animals is something I've done since I was inside my mum's tummy.
And your dad was teaching you how to capture crocodiles at the age of 9?
Steve: Right! So that's all I've known, that's all I've done. Undoubtedly
I will lose my life defending wildlife. I'll do it until I'm six feet under.
Your daughter is turning 4 years old. Are you training her to be a croc
hunter?
Steve: Yeah, absolutely. At the premiere she actually rode an alligator,
and she got bitten by her first alligator about four months ago -- the little
baby alligators hatched down at the zoo. Alligators aren't as ferocious as
crocs, so I said, ''Do you want to handle this?'' And she said yeah. Then it bit
her on the finger. But she was good with it.
 "One bite from this spider and I'm dead ... I'm in love with this girl, she's so beautiful..." |
Does any animal give you a hard time?
Steve: Parrots. It doesn't matter what country I'm in, mate, and I don't
know why, but every time I rescue a parrot, they will try to take a piece out
of me.
Terri: I remember this one woman who was so proud of showing Steve her
pet parrot and she said, "Oh, it's so sweet." And she brings it out and I
could see Steve's eyes get big and he starts sweating and I knew what was
next.
Steve: Chomp! It bit my ear, and the blood just comes shooting
out. I don't know why. I don't dislike parrots. I come from the land of
parrots.
You also come from the land of giant cans of beer, yet you don't drink.
Steve: Yeah, there's a rare quality for an Australian. And it's really
strong beer, too. You know, I was young once and I got over it. I can't do
that anymore. There's just been so many phone calls in the middle of the night
where some kid has been bitten by a poisonous snake and what's on the tip of
your tongue is going to make a difference. If you've had a few beers, you
don't want to pick up the phone.
So how many of those little khaki shorts outfits do you own?
Steve: I've got 20 new ones from MGM for the movie, which was really
good. I probably had 30 or so already, so now I'm up to 50. But I never get
tired of it. That's what I reckon is wrong with the world. Everyone gets around
all shined up in Armani black suits, like they're gift wrapped with this rope
around their necks. I'd rather wear my car keys around my neck than a tie, all
strangled and stuff.
Do you own any other clothes besides the khaki shorts and shirts?
Steve: I've got a couple of jumpers. I've got a pair of jeans. In Tasmania
I wore 'em — first and last time I wore 'em. Oh, and I've got another couple
of shirts and shorts when I want to go out and not be recognized.
Terri: It's very Einstein. He's got dozens and dozens of these outfits.
No neckties?
Steve: Oh there's no way, mate! That's what I reckon is wrong with
lawyers. Those poor buggers. They get all rapped up in this stuff and, crikey,
they're choking themselves to death. I've got to be free and flexible. If a
croc explodes up and I'm wearing long pants, they'll be caught and I'm dead.
The less clothes you have, the more in touch with your environment you are.
Many women in Los Angeles share that philosophy. What do you make of
Southern California?
Steve: By and large, everyone has been very nice. But when I came to sign
up this movie, I met a few land sharks. It's this very L.A. thing to do, the
hug thing, but sometimes I thought I was hugging pieces of steel.
Terri: Crocodiles are much more consistent. They don't pretend to be
your friends.
Steve: Yeah, there were a couple — and I'm talking a minority thing
here — and I'd walk away and think, "Oh, crikey, there's knives in my back."
I've never had relationships with people before who just want want want. I've
come into animals like that — leeches. But at least when the leech attaches
himself, it's in his parasitic nature. That's what it does and then it drops
off. These people never want to let go. I'd rather deal with a parrot.
Do you ever get tired of the ''Crocodile Dundee'' jokes?
Steve: Nah. Life is too short. If you can't laugh at yourself, you're too
straight, and your life's too boring. There's a lot of good croc gags getting
around. There's a particular one I like that I'm not sure I can tell you. It's
all about the sexing techniques of crocodiles and the males mounting the
females, so I guess not.
Even if you can't include all your favorite jokes, would you want to do
another film?
Steve: Absolutely. I figure this will be a bit like James Bond, or
actually Tarzan. Tarzan was based on a little bit of real life, but ''The
Crocodile Hunter'' is full-on based on fact. So the concept of a real-life
action hero playing himself lends itself to a whole series of movies. I reckon
I'll do a whole stack of them. What I'd like to see is an Arnold
Schwarzenegger-like actor bloke play me when I'm dead. In a hundred years.
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